


Freedom

by Rakath



Category: Degrassi
Genre: CW: Mentions of drug use, CW: Mentions of sex on drugs, F/F, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25731436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakath/pseuds/Rakath
Summary: Maya has to work on a group assignment with someone, and it definitely won't be Tristan Milligan.POV - Maya Matlin.
Relationships: Maya Matlin/Talia (Degrassi)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Freedom

“Miss Matlin, you’re late, we’re picking partners for our next group presentations.”

I didn’t honestly care about Mr. Perino’s class, I knew this project was coming and I didn’t really care about it either. I had too much going on in my life to really care about any of this. Too many people in trouble, too much in my mind. Not nearly enough sleep.

And in this class, not enough friends. I didn’t want to make small talk with a stranger, someone who might want to work on the project now. But my only ‘friend’ in this class was, well, not my friend anymore. And I didn’t really have a way to get Tristan to forgive me, rescue our friendship from my own actions.

So I picked the only other person I knew at all in the room, and sat down next to her.

“Hey movie star.” Her smile said she was being playful, my going stiff as a board at her bringing that up showed it didn’t work. “Relax, the one I shot of you was way better than TV Starlet’s piece. More of you, less of her using you like a barbie doll.”

“Uh, thanks?” I sat down. Talia wasn’t my friend, we’d hung out once. I was drunk, and in a bad place. “Why isn’t Harry here with you.”

“He abandoned me, a decade of having each other’s back through everything. And he had the nerve to pass this class last year.” She nodded toward the icy spot in the room staring at me. “What’s with your gay best friend? Why are you here with me and not over there. Other than the frostbite.”

“Long story.”

“Knowing you, it’s gonna be spicy. But I don’t need to know, are you planning on being a good nerd. Or that punk chick I saw going into the Rubber Room.”

I flushed a little at that, my attempt to fit in didn’t really suit me, but apparently it did get around. Then again, the only reason Talia didn’t hit on me at Drew’s party was Harry called dibs. “I don’t really care about this assignment.”

“Works for me, wanna come over and work on it after school?”

“Um, we could work at my place.”

“Nah, your mom can’t walk in on us having sex at my place.”

Whatever I wanted to say, I didn’t. Saying things would require thoughts, which I couldn’t really come up with. Flashing back to Harry’s speedy escape moments before I was going to see my first penis, because my sister was ready to castrate him. “Why did he tell you about that?”

“Cause shit like that’s hilarious. Besides- do you have any better plans tonight?”

I glanced back at Tristan, who hadn’t stopped glaring at me. He’d run roughshot over me all year. Ditching me at a club, demanding I fake date him, goading me into making Zoe jealous, ditching me to hang out with her. Then I try to protect him and he cuts me out of his life so he can date my ex. He did a million things I should be mad at him for.

So why is he mad at me?

It just isn’t fair! I’m tired of wanting to apologize. So if he wants to stare, maybe I should give him something to stare at.

I grabbed Talia by her dirty white tank top and kissed her. On the lips. In class. I stopped before Perino caught it. The advantages of a teacher who reads when he hands out group assignments. There were gasps, Tristan was still staring but now he was- I don’t know what.

I didn’t care what. “I don’t have better plans.”

Talia, annoyingly, wasn’t really phased, “See, before this was gonna suck, but I think we can have some fun. Movie star.”

***

Talia, for her tomboy tank tops and general disinterest in make-up, lived in a house nicer than mine. Not- that I care about that, I just really wasn’t expecting it. We almost got some work done, we both played at it for a half hour. Me sitting on her bed, her lounging in a bean bag she probably rescued from a dumpster. It didn’t fit the rest of the house at all. But- I kissed her in class, I was expecting her to change the subject.

Maybe she expected me to change the subject.

Why did I even do that? I didn’t like her like her. Sure, I thought about how that night would have gone if Harry hadn’t called dibs on me. How people would have reacted to that video if it was Talia and I making out. How mom would have reacted catching me and Talia on that sofa.

“Alright, movie star. Are we really here to work?”

“I- I don’t know. This year has been a lot.”

“So I know all the rumors. Threatening to kill another student, joining a gang, prostitution. None of them are quite your type of drama though. Tell me, it’ll be entertaining to compare notes.”

So I told her, basically everything. Paris. Everything with Zoe. Tristan’s dating a teacher. All of it. I’m sure it’d spread rumors further, but I didn’t care. People have been talking about me since- well, last year. I’ve never gotten a say in the stories.

Except for when I posted Talia’s video.

“So you didn’t fuck the pretty rich boy? You two dated for months.”

And that was Talia’s takeaway from all of that story, that I was still a virgin loser, “We- he never pushed, and stuff kept happening. We did some things.”

Talia raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“Little hand stuff.” I answered, sheepishly. Okay, for all the rumors that seemed to be about me. Thanks to two sexy videos of me. I guess people expect I’ve done a lot more sex than I’ve ever done.

“My professional opinion is you need to get laid. I can call Harry and you two can just go at it in my bed.” Talia offered, heading over to her dresser. She turned to stare right into my soul. Smirking. I didn’t know her well, but I had an inkling where her mind was, “I could film it if you’re more comfortable that way.”

That- that was where I thought she was going. I threw a pillow at her head as a rebuttal.

She ignored my compelling counterargument, rummaging through her sock drawer, “If not, we could always have a party.”

I had always wanted to try, well… 

***

“You two had sex!?” Zoe asked in a hushed, but not hushed enough, whisper.

“Well- like, the Molly made me all hot, so I ended up taking off my shirt. And- like-” I figured the math there was obvious. You take off clothes it means you want to fool around. I knew that when I was thirteen. “And please, I don’t need more rumors about me this year.”

“You’re dating a girl, Miles is dating a boy, you two really were perfect for each other.” Zoe went back to writing out a cheer routine I couldn’t readily make sense of.

“Talia and I aren’t dating, she doesn’t really believe in relationships between teenagers. She believes in ‘experiencing all that she can before we all inevitably die.’”

“So you’re dating, because if she talks like that you’re soulmates.”

“Shut up.” I shoulder checked Zoe as a retort. Talia was cool, my parents can never know about her. I definitely would have died if mom and Katie walked in on me and Talia doing any of the stuff we did. But she saw the world as an open book of adventures.

Just that the book was on fire. And will be gone at any moment.

I could relate.

“So- did you like it, with a girl?”

I nodded at the question, it was sex. Sex feels good. Not that I had a ton of experience, but- “Yeah, I mean maybe the drugs made it all feel more… everything. Next time I’ll do it sober, definitely better than mastur-”

“Okay, too much. Why is Tristan so dumb, this should be his story to listen to, not mine.” Zoe waved away any mention of my sex life with myself or others. Frowned, “But you didn’t- it wasn’t weird with a girl?”

“Zoe, I was a virgin until a week ago, I don’t know what about that was weird.”

“...Nevermind. Forget I asked.” She wasn’t telling me something.

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just being your friend is work, and I have a lot of cheer stuff to do.”

She was cagey, I mean even moreso than usual Zoe. I’ll have to investigate that later. Make sure she’s okay. She ignored me by watching some video of cheer practice, apparently done with being my friend for the time being. I frowned, “You want something faster for that routine.”

I ripped a page out of my notebook and scribbled down seven different songs that were the right speed for what Zoe’s girls were doing, she stared at me. “Thanks. For being a weird music nerd and wikipedia article. Now get lost.”

“Aye-aye, captain.” I mock saluted and ran off. There were plenty of hours in the day, and I guess I should see if they belonged to Zig, Grace, and Tiny… or if they belonged to Talia.

I was kinda hoping for the latter.


End file.
